Fast CompanyGymnast Simone Biles's signature move: Two backflips in the air, with straight legs, and a blind landing after an extra little half-twist.
Witnessing that gravity-defying feat, known as "the Biles," you can't help thinking that her level of talent is due to more than just thousands of hours of practice. Biles must have amazing genes. Clearly, there are some genetic markers for height—in Biles case, it helps to be small—but how about for factors like strength and precision?READ MORE

News-Medical.netInvestigators eager to uncover the genetic basis of autism could now have hundreds of promising new leads thanks to a study by Princeton University and Simons Foundation researchers.
In the first effort of its kind, the research team developed a machine-learning program that scoured the whole human genome to predict which genes may contribute to autism spectrum disorder. READ MORE

CNNHow old were you when you lost your virginity? Or maybe you haven't reached that point yet.
Either way, whether you're 16 or 40 when you decide to have sex for the first time, you may think the choice comes down to your partner, the people around you and the environment you are exposed to. That's part of it — but scientists are increasingly realizing that your genes also have something to do with it.READ MORE

The Associated Press via CBS NewsIn a key advance for the study of depression, a comprehensive scan of human DNA has turned up the apparent hiding places of more than a dozen genes linked to the disorder.
"This is a jumping-off point" for further work to reveal the biological underpinnings of depression, which in turn can guide development of new drugs, said Ashley Winslow, an author of a paper on the work.READ MORE

Health Information DesignsSpending on specialty pharmaceuticals climbed 18 percent in 2015, compared to an increase of less than 1 percent for standard prescription medications. Despite their effectiveness, specialty medications are under constant scrutiny—reflecting the growing concern of balancing clinical innovation with responsible spending.READ MORE

University of California - Santa Cruz via ScienceDailyCancer researchers have applied a comprehensive set of analytical tools to lethal cases of metastatic prostate cancer, yielding a detailed map of the complex networks of interactions among genes and proteins that enable prostate cancer cells to proliferate and evade treatment. The team also developed a computational approach for analyzing patient-specific data to help doctors choose the most effective drugs for individual patients.READ MORE

Tufts University via ScienceDailyGenetic research is a valuable tool in understanding diseases and their prevention, diagnosis and treatment. However, significant obstacles limit the clinical use of this knowledge to all groups. Genetic applications in healthcare must advance in a way that reduces racial and ethnic disparities.READ MORE

ForbesYesterday, shares of drug giant Bristol-Myers Squibb fell 16 percent after its breakthrough cancer drug, Opdivo, failed to slow tumor growth in previously untreated patients with non-small cell lung cancer.
The news shocked Wall Street in part because in June, Merck had announced that its very similar drug, Keytruda, had extended the lives of patients with non-small cell lung cancer. There was one big difference between the two studies: the results of a diagnostic test.READ MORE

TechCrunchThe human microbiome — meaning all of our microbes’ genes — will reshape the consumerization of personalized medicine and diet. Following the human genome project, technological advancements have brought us much closer to acute precision in disease diagnosis and treatment.
The microbiome, considered by some scientists “as a newly discovered and largely unexplored organ,” has the potential to change the way we diagnose and treat the most critical diseases of our time: Crohn’s, diabetes, obesity, various cancers, acute diarrhea, mental disorders and more.READ MORE

Genoptix Medical LaboratoryGenoptix, a Novartis company, is a leading CAP-accredited and CLIA-certified specialized laboratory focused on delivering diagnostic services to hematology/oncology patients and the physicians who treat them.

ForbesWith electronic health records and the move to population health spreading across the U.S., physician costs to keep up have reached more than $32,000 per doctor annually.
Doctor-owned multi-specialty practices spent more than $32,500 in 2015 on new health IT, staff, maintenance and related costs last year, according to a new analysis from the Medical Group Management Association.READ MORE

Becker's Spine ReviewWith rapid technological advances expanding the healthcare market drastically to date, the next five years could completely transform it, according to Thompson Reuters Zawya.
The report predicts that the healthcare market will grow from $40 billion in 2015 to $71 billion by 2020. Here are five thoughts.READ MORE

The New York TimesThe National Institutes of Health announced that it was planning to lift its ban on funding some research that injects human stem cells into animal embryos.
The NIH announced its proposal in a blog post by Carrie Wolinetz, the associate director for science policy, and in the Federal Register.READ MORE

Reuters via Fox NewsMany websites marketing unproven stem cell therapies directly to consumers are popping up even in developed nations where laws have been passed to protect patients from false medical advertising, a new study suggests.
Ireland, Singapore, Australia, Germany, Italy, Japan and the U.S. have the highest per capita number of clinics engaging in direct-to-consumer marketing of stem cell therapies, according to the study published in Cell Stem Cell.READ MORE

HealthPayer IntelligenceHealth payers and providers who are seeking to form accountable care organizations will need to follow key steps in order to avoid the issues associated with these payment models and truly succeed in an accountable care environment. Below we outline three key strategies that payers and providers will need to incorporate when operating accountable care organizations.READ MORE

MedPage TodayWith Obamacare and creation of health insurance exchanges, many believed that health insurers would compete for patients much the same way hotels, rental cars companies, and airlines compete for customers. By comparing identical benefits packages from different insurers, patients could select their insurer based on the monthly premium and the extent of the hospital and physician network.READ MORE

HealthDay via WebMDThe first generic version of the flu medication Tamiflu has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Tamiflu is used to treat patients 2 weeks of age and older who have had flu symptoms for no more than 48 hours. It's also used for the prevention of flu in patients 1 year of age and older. The FDA approved Tamiflu in 1999.READ MORE

FiercePharmaMerck & Co.’s immuno-oncology drug Keytruda’s fortunes took a significant upturn, and not just because its head-to-head rival from Bristol-Myers Squibb failed a key lung cancer study. The PD-1 cancer-fighter picked up a new FDA approval, too.
Keytruda snagged an approval in head and neck cancer for patients with advanced disease who’ve failed on platinum-based chemotherapy. READ MORE

FORTUNEIf you had to point to a super villain in healthcare right now, it would probably be the pharmaceutical industry and its drug pricing tactics. But a new report finds that other factors are actually playing a much bigger role in driving up medical costs.
Analytics firm Avalere Health examined the main causes for spikes in 2017 private health insurance premiums (including big increases in Obamacare plan premiums) in the individual and small group markets of nine states.READ MORE

The Boston GlobeThe cost of long-term health insurance for Bentley University biotechnology professor Lynn Arenella will double in the next year, to about $2,600 annually.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. Legislators passed a law in 2012 aimed at protecting consumers from such steep increases. But nearly four years later, amid a tussle between industry and consumer groups, state insurance regulators still haven’t issued final rules for implementing the law, leaving insurance companies to raise certain rates at will.READ MORE

Seattle Genetics Announces FDA Regular Approval of ADCETRIS® for Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients at High Risk of Relapse or Progression. Click here to view more information.

Sandoz, a Novartis company, announced today that Zarxio(TM) (filgrastim-sndz) is now available in the United States. Zarxio is the first biosimilar approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the first to launch in the US. Please click here for more information.
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